Former teacher's aide faces child rape charges

Friday

Oct 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2008 at 2:13 PM

Christopher French, a former McCall Middle School teacher’s aide charged in June with one count of child enticement, now faces additional charges, including child rape and possession of child pornography.

Eric Tsetsi

Christopher French, a former McCall Middle School teacher’s aide charged in June with one count of child enticement, now faces additional charges, including child rape and possession of child pornography.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said Thursday that French was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury for charges of child rape, child enticement (two counts), posing a child in a state of nudity (four counts), disseminating visual material of a child in a state of nudity (four counts), possession of child pornography (four counts) and dissemination of matter harmful to minors (three counts).

The new charges stem from alleged crimes against six underage female victims.

French, 28, of Winchester, is the son of McCall Middle School principal Evander French Jr.

He was employed full time at the middle school from 2006 through the summer of 2008, when the initial charges came to light. He was also a junior varsity boys’ soccer coach at the high school, prior to his first arrest.

“What we’re alleging is that Christopher French engaged in grooming young girls aged 13 to 16, girls who had attended McCall Middle School and their friends,” Leone said in a news conference at his Woburn office. “What Mr. French did was use Internet sites … to groom young girls for sexual activity. He lured them, he enticed them to engage in sexual activity, to exchange photographs of himself and them in various states of nudity.”

According to Leone, in one incident in 2005-06, French contacted a 14-year-old female student on her MySpace page and invited her to join him in his hot tub. The girl refused, but invited French to her house, where he allegedly raped her in the basement of the home.

French was 25 years old at the time of that alleged incident.

In a similar incident, which ultimately led to French’s initial arrest, he is accused of contacting a 13-year-old female former McCall student, and again tried to entice the girl to use his hot tub, Leone said.

According to court records, conversations took place online, and quickly became sexual in nature.

The attempted meeting never took place, police said, but when evidence was brought forward of the alleged inappropriate sexual contact, police arrested French for child enticement and seized computer equipment from his residence.

A forensic analysis of French’s computer revealed that through the years of his employment at the middle school, he communicated with many underage females, including former McCall school students and others he met online. Much of the communication was sexual in nature, according to a news release from Leone’s office.

French was first arraigned for child enticement in Woburn District Court on June 30. A date has not been set for the Middlesex Superior Court arraignment.

French is free on $5,000 bail. Conditions of his release established by Woburn District Court Judge Geoffrey Packard stated that he was to have no contact with children under the age of 16.

However, shortly after his release, he was seen working on the high school’s soccer fields.

Leone was asked why bail wasn’t revoked when it was discovered French was still working on school property.

“The fact that he was in proximity to kids of the ages that we’re alleging that he abused was brought before the court’s attention,” he said. “To the extent that the court has not acted on those allegations yet, we will bring that to the attention of the [superior court during his arraignment].”

Leone urged individuals having any additional information about the case to call the Winchester police department at 781-729-1340.

“These are troubling allegations against a man who abused his position as a trusted mentor to many of these young victims,” said Leone.

Detective Jim Pierce of the Winchester Police Department is leading the ongoing investigation.

Superintendent of Schools Bill McAlduff was informed on the new charges this week and has met with his incident management team to discuss the implementation of support services for students who may be distressed by the news.

“French’s earlier arrest and subsequent charge of child enticement has caused tremendous concern, shock, and uncertainty throughout the school district and the Winchester community,” said McAlduff, in a prepared statement. “This indictment is devastating to all involved: the alleged victims; students; school staff; parents; and the entire town.”

McAlduff deferred all other questions concerning the case to Leone’s office.

“We will continue to work closely with the Winchester Police Department and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office to the extent permitted by applicable court orders,” McAlduff said in the statement. “Our number one concern has always been to maintain the integrity and purpose of our main mission which is to provide all students with an outstanding education in a safe nurturing environment that fosters academic achievement, healthy social and emotional development, enthusiasm for education and a life-long love of learning.”